Major Mistakes of a Childhood
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: Arabella Figg alerts Minerva and Albus of nine-year old Harry being mute and suffering from a chronic illness. The Headmaster sends Poppy and Severus to assess his condition. Will they be able to help Harry? Completely AU, partly OOC, abused/sick!Harry
1. Chapter 1

**Major Mistakes of a Childhood - by Healer Pomfrey**

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

**

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Chapter 1**

Albus Dumbledore was sitting in his office, gently stroking his phoenix' head feathers. He absently listened to his deputy, who was using her free period to complain about the students that weren't able to think about anything but the Valentine's Day Hogsmeade visit, which was going to take place on the following day.

"Well, Minerva, how about giving them a pop quiz on Monday morning?" he queried, chuckling, when all of a sudden the fireplace flared and the face of Arabella Figg appeared in the flames.

"Albus, Minerva, could one or both of you please come through for a moment? I urgently need to speak with you about young Harry. Something is really wrong with the poor child."

The Headmaster sighed and slowly took a lemon drop out of its wrapping, while McGonagall threw the Squib a horrified look and queried, "What exactly is wrong with Harry, Arabella?"

"Harry is sick, Minerva. At least once in a fortnight the school nurse sends him home with a fever, and since they already know Harry isn't allowed to return to his home before school is over, they always call me and send him here if he falls ill at school. He just came back with breathing problems and a high fever. He needs medicine and probably an inhaler, but since I'm not his guardian, I can't take him to the doctor without the Dursleys' agreement, and Petunia forbade me to take him. Apart from these acute problems, the boy is mute. He doesn't speak at all. I'm at a loss, Minerva. He won't make it to Hogwarts, if you don't take him to Hogwarts and properly look after him."

"I'll come over and check on him," McGonagall said readily, but Dumbledore reached for her arm.

"No Minerva, you will not do such a thing. You have a class to teach in ten minutes. Arabella, please keep Harry at your place for the time being. Immediately after the last afternoon class, which is in an hour, I will send Poppy and Severus to assess the situation. They will be able to make a reasonable and impartial decision." With that, he ended the Floo connection and established a connection to the Potions classroom.

"Severus, I need you to run an errand for me after your last class today," he informed his most trusted colleague beside his deputy.

"My last class is just over," Snape replied evenly. "Give me five minutes to clean up, and then I'll come to your office."

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

While McGonagall gave the sixth year Gryffindor and Slytherin students an introduction to the Animagus transformation, Poppy Pomfrey and Severus Snape entered the Headmaster's office.

Knowing from experience that neither of them would accept a lemon drop, Dumbledore came straight to the point and briefly told them about Arabella Figg's concern.

"Albus, I believe that Poppy is well able to assess Potter's condition. There is no need for me to accompany her," Snape said firmly, knitting his brows in annoyance.

"I am not in the least doubting Poppy's abilities, my boy. However, I need an objective opinion concerning the question if we need to take the boy from his relatives, and I prefer two opinions to one. Moreover, I am not easily willing to remove the child from his home," the Headmaster replied calmly.

"Well then, let's get over with it," Snape said evenly and stepped into the fireplace, shouting, "Arabella Figg's home."

Glad that he knew Poppy would follow within seconds, the Potions Master looked around in disgust, absolutely detesting the cats that were uncontrollably running around the room.

"Poppy, Severus, thank God you could finally come to help him. I've already contacted Albus several times, but he just didn't want to listen. Maybe it was good that Minerva was with him when I Floo-called him earlier..."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but where is the boy?" Snape queried, glancing around.

"I put him to bed in the guest room," Mrs. Figg replied, leading the way up to the second floor.

The Mediwitch and the Potions Master silently entered the bedroom, where a small boy was spread on the bed, completely entangled in the covers. His face was as white as the pillow under his head, his cheeks were deeply flushed, and dark rings surrounded his eyes. Beads of sweat were covering his forehead, making strands of hair strangely stick to his face. However, worse than everything else was the child's breathing that sounded laboured.

Madam Pomfrey immediately turned into Healer's mode and waved her wand over the boy, casting a series of diagnostic spells, before she pointed her wand at his head to take his temperature.

After a minute, a small parchment emerged from the tip of her wand. Pomfrey frowned, holding it out to her colleague so they could read together.

_Age: __Nine years, five months, thirteen days_

_Height: 1.__32 m, ten percent under average height_

_Weight: 19.5 kg, fifty percent underweight_

_Temperature: 39.8, high fever_

_Signs of illness: _

_Beginning pneumonia,_

_Chronic lung problems,_

_Chronic constriction of the windpipe,_

_Damaged immune system,_

_Several bones broken and improperly healed,_

_Bruises and scars covering 82.3 percent of body,_

_Eye sight poor_

"The boy is already nine?" Severus asked in disbelief. '_Oh well, I know that Harry Potter must be nine, but the boy here looks much younger and smaller_,' he mused.

"Severus, I'm at a loss. I'd love to take the boy with me and nurse him back to health. However, you know Albus' opinion. He wants the child to stay at his relatives at any cost. The problem is that I can't prove that his apparently chronic illness is his relatives' fault, and the only method to evaluate this would be a complete check-up, but for that I need his guardians' approval," Pomfrey said thoughtfully.

"Nonsense," Snape replied in a very upset tone. "From this," he held the small parchment in his hand, lightly shaking it to make a point, "it's already evident that he is malnourished and obviously abused and neglected. As far as I'm informed, Albus is his guardian in the magical world, and since he sent us here to assess the boy's condition, he automatically gave you the permission to perform all the necessary tests. Go ahead, Poppy."

The Mediwitch nodded in relief and once more waved her wand over the sleeping boy, while her colleague waited patiently, his thoughts drifting back to his own unhappy childhood and his abusive father. A few minutes later, a very long parchment emerged from the tip of the Healer's wand, listing the boy's many illnesses and ailments he had suffered from during the last eight years, including the exact data.

"Look Severus, how long it took him to recover from these colds as a small child. If they had taken him to a doctor and he had received proper medicine, each of them would have been gone within days," Pomfrey said, pointing at a few numbers. "Severus, they have obviously completely neglected if not totally ignored his ailments. Look here, from that cold onwards he began to develop constrictions of the windpipe and lung infections, and currently, he falls ill with these problems every second week."

"And these bones must have healed by themselves," Snape said, pointing to a few points at which Harry had broken his left wrist and one of his ribs. Both of the injuries were not fully healed yet.

"Severus," Pomfrey sighed, "let's speak with Arabella and ask her what she knows about his treatment by the Dursleys, and then I believe it's necessary that we take him with us to Hogwarts."

Mrs. Figg provided her visitors with the same information that she had given Professor McGonagall earlier.

"He is mute?" Pomfrey asked in disbelief. "That has to be a psychological problem, because my scans don't show any problems, so technically he should well be able to speak. I also remember that Harry spoke very early as a small child, probably because of his strong magic, and Lily often complained that he wouldn't stop talking, even if no one except for her was able to understand what he meant."

"No wonder he doesn't want to speak, considering how his relatives seem to treat him," Snape sneered, trying to suppress his anger in front of the Squib.

Thirty minutes later, Pomfrey used her emergency Portkey to take the sleeping boy and her colleague straight to the hospital wing at Hogwarts.

"Severus, can you call Albus, please," Pomfrey instructed the Potions Master, while she settled Harry in the bed next to her office, summoning a few phials from her potions shelf as she tucked the child in.

A few minutes later, Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Poppy Pomfrey and her grandmother Theresa Pomfrey, who had returned to Hogwarts to work together with her always busy granddaughter a few months ago, were sitting in the Mediwitches' office, discussing the small boy's predicament over a cup of tea.

"Poppy, Severus, I understand that he is very ill; however, I have to insist that he returns to his relatives as soon as his condition has far enough improved for his aunt to be able to look after him with the help of Muggle means," Dumbledore said firmly, absently taking a lemon drop out of his robe pocket.

_tbc..._


	2. Chapter 2

**Major Mistakes of a Childhoo****d – Chapter 2**

A triple, "Albus!" made the Headmaster drop his lemon drop, startled.

"Albus, you can't mean what you said now," Theresa said, terrified, but in a firm voice, studying the diagnostic parchments Poppy had handed her. "From these data it is _evident_ that the boy is abused and neglected by his so-called family. Moreover, the fact that he apparently doesn't speak shows that he is not only suffering physically, but also mentally, since there are no medical reasons for his muteness. You can't send the child back there, Albus."

"He needs to become a strong boy, not a pampered one," Dumbledore said firmly.

"Very well then," Theresa continued, while her granddaughter and the Potions Master were listening with angry expressions on their faces. "Poppy and I are obliged to report any kind of child abuse to the Ministry of Magic. We will do this and ask the Minister to appoint an appropriate guardian for the boy. I will make sure to point out that due to his grave health problems, his guardian has to be a Healer or at least a Potions Master," she finished her tirade.

"Believe me, Albus, I know what child abuse is, and I wouldn't even wish it for the child of my greatest enemy," Snape spoke up in a bored voice, causing the Headmaster to look at his youngest faculty member in surprise.

"All right then, Severus, if you're willing to become his guardian..."

"I never agreed to such a thing," the Potions Master interrupted him vehemently. "I couldn't become a '_Potter's_' guardian." He spat the name of his childhood enemy.

"Well, you could adopt the child and change his name if you wanted," Poppy said in a lighter tone.

'_Yes, he is a Potter. However, he wasn't raised by Potter, so he'll probably be very different from his father_,' a small voice at the back of his head spoke up.

'_He has his father's genes, so of course he'll be like him_,' Snape thought back in annoyance.

'_You're a Snape, but are you so similar to your abhorrent father?_' the voice did all but quieten.

'_No_,' he had to admit.

'_The boy was abused just like you. You could help him get a better life_.'

'_No one really helped me_.'

'_He is also Lily's son. She helped you when you came to Hogwarts and even earlier. She could have been yours if you hadn't..._'

'_Oh shut up_,' Snape thought, pressing his hands against his temples to massage them in a faint attempt to get rid of the dull ache that threatened to turn into a tremendous headache.

Suddenly, Poppy's concerned voice pulled him out of his reverie. "Are you feeling all right, Severus?"

"Yes, of course," he replied, quickly schooling his face into a blank mask.

"I will only agree to keep the boy here at Hogwarts under the condition that Severus becomes his guardian," the Headmaster stated and rose from his seat, ready to leave the room.

"Minerva would be more than happy to take the child in," Snape replied evenly, trying to push his inner fight to the very back of his mind.

"You heard what I said. Think about it, my boy," Dumbledore replied firmly and left the office, glancing at the small boy in the first bed as he strode through the hospital wing.

"I think it's time to inform Minerva," Poppy spoke up and headed to the fireplace.

"Severus, you're not alone in this. Albus didn't say you had to become his sole guardian," Theresa said calmingly. "I'm sure Minerva or Poppy would be willing to share the task with you."

"Let me think about it, please," Snape replied tiredly and stood up. Picking up a chair on his way out into the hospital wing, he sat next to Harry's bed, silently watching the child sleep.

Somehow driven by an invisible force, he picked up the wet cloth that was draped over the boy's forehead and began to gently wipe his flushed face, groaning inwardly when the boy stirred.

"Hello Harry. I am Professor Snape," he said in the softest voice he could muster as emerald eyes became visible. '_Lily's eyes!_' The thought hit his mind like a sudden thunder. '_Right, he is indeed Lily's child as well. How dare they treat Lily's child like that!_'

Suddenly becoming aware that the child was observing him with a blank expression on his face, he said, "Harry, you're at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry." Seeing that the boy threw him a questioning look, he added, "This is where your parents went to school."

A slight smile began to play on the boy's lips, and Snape continued, "We're thinking about taking you away from your relatives and keeping you here at the school. Would you like that?"

Harry gave him a light nod, and Snape asked softly, "Harry, did your relatives tell you about magic?"

Suddenly, the boy's face clouded and an expression of fright flashed in his face, before he anxiously nestled deeper into his covers.

"Harry, you don't have to be afraid of magic. You are a wizard just like me and just like your parents were magical," Snape said soothingly, while his mind screamed, '_What did Petunia and her horrible husband do to Lily's son?_'

HP

"My parents?" Harry mouthed soundlessly, throwing the teacher a questioning look. '_Is that the devil?_' he suddenly thought, taking in the professor's black clothing. '_Maybe I'm dead and I'm finally with the devil like Uncle Vernon told me I'd end up with him just like my parents. I don't mind though. It's nice here, and the devil is very gentle. It feels so good when he wipes my face with the cool cloth_.' Harry tiredly glanced around, seeing that he found himself in a huge room with many white beds, some of which were occupied, and the faint rays of the late afternoon sun fell in through large windows. '_It looks like the infirmary at school, but I'm not there, although the devil said something about a school_.' Deep in thoughts, Harry was just about to drift back to sleep when he saw a woman in white clothes approach his bed. '_She must be an angel then, although I thought the angels and the devil were living at different places_.'

Harry was abruptly pulled out of his musings when the angel woman pointed a stick at him and mumbled something he couldn't understand.

"Hello sweetie, I'm Poppy, and I'm the Mediwitch here. Are you feeling a bit better?" she queried in a soft voice.

Harry nodded slightly, anxiously nestling deeper into the covers.

"Harry, you don't have to be afraid; Poppy is going to use her wand to check on you, and then she'll give you some potions, or medicine, to make you better," Snape explained in a soothing voice, causing Harry to throw him a terrified look.

'_I'm not allowed to have medicine_,' he thought. '_I'll be in so much trouble if Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia hear of it_.' He sighed in relief when Poppy quickly gave up to try making him open his mouth and swallow a potion, not realising that she spelled it straight into his system instead.

"I don't want to fight with him right now," Poppy told her colleague in a small voice. "We'll deal with his antics when his fever comes down a bit."

"Very well," Snape replied in an equally quiet voice. "Poppy, I'll be back in a few minutes. I just want to fetch something for Harry from my quarters."

"That's all right, Severus. I'll keep an eye on him. I have to check on my other patients now anyway," Poppy replied, throwing her younger colleague an appreciative look.

The Potions Master stepped into the Mediwitches' office, however changed his mind and strode to the door to walk down to the dungeons, deep in thoughts. When he entered his bedroom, reaching for his most valuated possession on his night table, his thoughts flashed back to Christmas Eve during his first year at Hogwarts.

_**(flashback 24**__**th**__** of December, 1970)**_

Severus was lying in his bed, feeling absolutely miserable. '_I should have stayed at Hogwarts_,' he thought. '_Father locked himself into his room anyway, and if I had known that he destroyed the Potions lab completely, I wouldn't have bothered to come home at all. I can't even brew a Pepperup potion or a fever reducer for this damn cold_.'

Suddenly, the door opened and Lily stepped into the room. Her cheeks were red from the cold, fresh outside air, and a few snowflakes were stuck in her hair. "Hi Sev, how are you feeling?" she asked gently, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Fine. What are you doing here?" he asked, hating how hoarse his voice sounded.

"Oh my, you sound as ill as you look. I feared so after watching you struggle through the train ride yesterday," Lily said in concern, placing a cold hand on his forehead, before she opened her rucksack, pulling out several boxes of Muggle medicine and a thermometer. She coaxed the glassy stick under his tongue and went to retrieve a wet towel from the bathroom, gently wiping the sweat off his forehead while they waited. Finally pulling the thermometer out, she frowned and handed him several pills followed by a glass of water.

Severus grudgingly obeyed and took the medicine, and she gently helped him to lie down again and get comfortable in his bed, before she proceeded to read from a magical children's book, '_The Tales of Beedle the Bard_.'

Severus would never forget the happiness he sensed as he slowly drifted off to sleep, while her gentle voice felt to his mind like a light cool breeze of wind on a hot summer day. When he woke up, Lily was still there. Even if he insisted he felt fine, she didn't believe a word but remained with him over Christmas, nursing him back to health. Before she finally returned home in the evening of Christmas day, she handed him a present, wrapped in colourful paper.

"I hope you'll like it. Get well soon, Sev," she said softly, gently adjusting the cool cloth to his forehead, before she left the room.

_(End of flashback)_

The professor smiled as he stood up from the edge of his bed, wondering when he had sat down in the first place. '_Lily_,' he mused as he reached out to the night table.

_

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_

_tbc..._

_This fast update is my THANK YOU for all your kind comments to the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed this one as well - please tell me what you think. I'm also open to suggestions, since I have only just begun to write this story and am not far ahead yet (like in some of my other stories)._

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	3. Chapter 3

**Major Mistakes of a Childhoo****d – Chapter 3**

Snape gently took the stuffed snake into his hands, softly stroking its skin. It was a very special snake, which Lily had sewed and with Professor Flitwick's help charmed for him during their first Hogwarts year. It was black and held a beautiful design in a light green colour, while the head was made of black leather that changed its colour according to the temperature of its surrounding. With the exception of its head, the snake was very soft and could be used as a multiple purpose scarf. If he pointed his wand at the tail, the snake became very warm and served as a shawl against the cold. Pointing a wand at the head caused the snake to become cool, especially the head, which didn't only turn ice-cold but also became flat, so he could lay the head on his forehead to soothe a headache or a fever.

During his Hogwarts years, he had often cuddled with the snake, and even as an adult, he used to keep it on his night table. "Lily," he whispered to the snake, "the real Lily would want me to give you to her son, wouldn't she?"

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

By the time Snape returned to the hospital wing, Harry was fast asleep, and Professor McGonagall was sitting on the chair he had vacated earlier. Snape leaned over the child and gently took the cloth off his forehead, before he pointed his wand at the snake's head and spelled the snake around the boy's neck, adjusting its icy head to the small hot forehead.

"Oh Severus," McGonagall spoke up, "are you really sure you want to do that? That's so sweet of you." She and Poppy were the only persons, who knew everything about his snake. Seeing her younger colleague nod, she continued in an equally soft voice, "Severus, you'll make a good father."

"How could I?" Snape blurted out, glaring at the older witch. "The only father I ever knew was someone I definitely don't want to become."

"Oh no, you won't become like your father, Severus. Don't even nurse such thoughts. He wouldn't have given the snake to Harry. He wouldn't have even bothered to return here and look after him. Moreover, Severus, listen to me. I know that Poppy and Theresa already told you so, but let me also tell you that we're all willing to help. I don't mind becoming an unofficial second guardian to Harry if that's what you want. Poppy wouldn't mind either. Please think about the matter and ask us. We'll both be here for you."

HP

Seeing Theresa enter the hospital wing with two first year Gryffindors in tow, whom she motioned into the beds next to Harry, McGonagall stood from her chair to hear what was wrong with her little lions. Snape took his earlier seat again and quietly watched the child sleep. Soon, his mind drifted back to his own Hogwarts days. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice any of the commotion that was going on around him and was only brought back to reality when he felt Theresa's hand on his shoulder.

"Severus, I'm going to be here all night," she said gently. "Please return to your quarters and get some sleep. You'll need it."

'_He'll be all right. Theresa won't let the Headmaster take him back to his horrid relatives_,' Snape mused and gave the Healer a sharp nod. "Very well then. Call me if you need me." With that, he returned to the dungeons, and after quickly looking in on his snakes, he went to bed, wondering when he had gone to bed so early the last time.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

A short while later, Harry woke up to strange sounds echoing through the room. When he lazily opened his eyes, he saw two ghost-like figures, completely covered in white blankets, jumping around the room. '_Are they angels? Are angels evil, if the devil is good? The devil was very nice earlier, and these angels are a bit scary because of the sounds they make_,' he mused. Frightened, he shifted towards the far end of his bed and unconsciously let out a few harsh coughs, realising terrified that the sounds coming from his bed attracted the ghosts' attention.

The two cloaked figures approached his bed and sat down on the empty bed next to him, looking at him with obvious interest.

"Hey George, don't you think he looks a bit small?" one of the ghosts asked the other.

"Yeah, he looks like a little kid, about the size of Ginny," the other ghost replied and turned to Harry. "Hello little one. We are Fred and George Weasley, Gryffindor first years."

"Who are you?" George asked as his brother ended up into a coughing fit. "Oh, Fred, I hate this cold," he added, sneezing a few times.

"George, I think we have to take the sheets off; we might be frightening the kid," Fred croaked, and Harry watched in amazement as two identical looking boys with red hair appeared from under the blankets.

'_They were only making fun_,' he thought in relief, and a small smile stole itself onto his lips.

"Sorry, we didn't want to frighten you," one of the boys apologized.

"We were only having a bit of fun, seeing that Madam Pomfrey has been called away," the other boy added. "Who are you by the way? You're not a Hogwarts student yet, are you?"

Harry merely looked at the boys, feeling very sad. '_I'm only a freak and a bad boy_,' he thought. '_I like these boys though. They seem really funny_.'

"George," the Fred boy suddenly broke the silence. "Could it be that he can't hear? If he doesn't understand us, he can't reply."

"Oh right, and that could explain why he is at Hogwarts in spite of being so small," George replied thoughtfully as he absently blew his nose. "Very well," he decided, fetching a parchment and a quill from his night table. "Here, draw," he instructed his brother. "I can't; my nose is running too badly."

"All right then," Fred replied and began to draw a picture. He drew two beds with two boys sitting on the edge of one bed and another boy lying on the other bed. Under the two boys, he wrote 'Fred' and 'George', before he placed a question mark under the boy on the other bed. When his brother nodded his agreement, Fred stepped over to Harry and handed him the parchment.

Harry accepted the parchment and hesitantly eyed the quill that was still in the boy's hand.

"Oh, sorry," the boy said hurriedly and questioningly held out the quill for him, nodding eagerly when Harry threw him a questioning look.

He hesitantly took the quill from the nice boy and wrote 'Harry' under his picture, before he handed it back, throwing the two boys an anxious look.

"Harry like in Harry Potter," Fred read in amazement. "Do you know Harry Potter? He is probably going to come to Hogwarts next summer. He's the same age as our brother Ron, and our sister Ginny has a huge crush on him. Oh sorry for talking so much. Do you understand what we're saying at all?" Fred asked hoarsely.

Harry slightly nodded his head, unconsciously wincing at the pain the small movement caused. '_Someone has a crush on me? That must be a mistake.' _He slowly brought his right hand to his temples to rub his forehead and frowned when he touched a material that felt strange to him. He carefully took the thing off, only to realise that it was a scarf that felt cool to his hot skin._ 'It feels so good, and it is beautiful. I wonder if the devil left it here to make me better.' _

Fred's coughing fit brought Harry back to reality._ 'Why do they know that my name is Harry Potter?_' he mused as he carefully readjusted the scarf around his neck and to his forehead. Sighing in relief at the cold touch, he reluctantly reached for the parchment and the quill, adding 'Potter' to his name.

"You are Harry Potter?" George blurted out, causing Harry to nod once more.

Just when Fred opened his mouth to ask another question, a stern voice drew Harry's attention to the foot end of his bed.

"Weasley and Weasley, go back to bed this instant. What do you think you're doing?" he heard, and an elder woman that looked like an angel stepped over to the two boys.

"We were only making conversation with Harry here," Fred croaked. "He told us he wanted to be our friend, so we talked for a while, right Harry?"

Harry hesitantly nodded, and a tiny smile appeared on his face in spite of the small voice whispering at the back of his mind, '_As soon as they notice that I'm a freak, they won't want to be friends anymor_e.'

"Did Harry speak with you?" Theresa queried in surprise, causing the twins to smirk. Seeing the picture Fred showed her, she said softly, "Fifty points to Gryffindor for being so kind to little Harry. It's a very good idea for the three of you to become friends. Harry only came to Hogwarts today, and he still doesn't know anyone, so I'm sure he'll be glad to have two friends. However, all three of you will lie down and go to sleep instantly."

Harry noticed anxiously that her voice had turned very stern at the last sentence. He nodded slightly, before he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, still with a slight smile on his face.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

When Snape entered the hospital wing in the morning, he saw terrified that one of the Weasley twins was sitting on the edge of Harry's bed. However, before he could chase the dunderhead away, Theresa called him into her office and explained that the three boys had obviously decided to become friends during the night.

Snape groaned in annoyance. '_All Weasleys are loud and unnerving_,' he mused, '_and considering how Potter Senior behaved at Hogwarts, we definitely don't want Harry to become like a Weasley; at least I don't want to be the guardian of such a boy_.'

Suddenly, the Headmaster's arrival pulled him out of his reverie. "Ah, Severus, my boy. Have you already decided if you want to become Harry's guardian?"

"Only if you allow Minerva and Poppy to share the position of his guardian with me, Albus, and I am not joking. No, don't lemon drop me, Albus," Snape scoffed, moving his hand to shoo the Headmaster's hand away. "The boy has already made friends with the Weasleys. From next week onwards, he'll be sworn into Gryffindor and will have a grudge against Slytherin. I am definitely not able to handle the boy on my own."

_

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tbc... _

_Thank you so much for your kind comments! _

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	4. Chapter 4

**Major Mistakes of a Childhoo****d – Chapter 4**

Dumbledore let out a deep sigh, before he slowly relented. "Very well then; I will allow Poppy to become Harry's second guardian. However, I want the boy to stay with you. I trust that you will be able to keep him safe and prepare him for his task."

"Albus, the child is mute," Snape scoffed. "How do you expect him to cast any spells at all? He'll probably need psychiatric treatment, which I am not competent to give him."

"You'll manage, my boy," the Headmaster said firmly, gently patting the Potions Master's shoulder. "I'll instruct the house-elves to make a room for Harry in your quarters. We can add a connecting door to Poppy's quarters, if that's what you wish."

"Yes please," Snape replied grumpily, although he inwardly sighed in relief at the prospect of having the Mediwitch as second guardian for the child.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

Poppy and Theresa kept Harry in the hospital wing for another week until he was completely recovered from his acute ailments. However, the Mediwitches and the Potions Master knew that they were not able to heal him from his chronic constriction of the windpipe and lung problems, at least not at the moment.

"Harry, as Professor Snape told you the other day, he and I have become your permanent guardians. You won't have to return to your relatives ever again," Poppy explained gently, noticing that the child's eyes began to twinkle happily as she continued, "We'll try to help you with your health problems; however, it's essential that you inform us whenever you feel sick or have any problems breathing. Do you understand me, sweetie?"

Harry slightly nodded his head, shyly averting his eyes to the floor at the same time. '_They are so nice, but what if they notice that I'm a freak? Will they send me back to the Dursleys?_' he worried, not realising that Poppy was observing him in concern.

"Harry, I believe that you're well enough to move to your own room, which will be in Professor Snape's quarters and have a connecting door to my quarters. Are you feeling well enough though?"

Harry nodded, while his thoughts were going haywire. '_I'll have my own room in the devil's quarters; that's great. However, will I be able to behave as he expects it? What if he notices that he didn't really want me to be with him and that I'm only a burden to everyone? Will the twins still be able to visit me? They're so nice and funny_.'

He was so deep in thoughts that he didn't notice the Potions Master approaching his bed and was startled when the man's silky voice penetrated his ears. "Harry, Madam Pomfrey told me she would release you today when my last afternoon class is over. However, we have to discuss what you're going to do during the day while I am teaching."

Harry threw the professor a frightened look, and the teacher explained in a soothing voice, "There are several possibilities. First of all, I could make a Portkey for you, which takes you to the primary school you have attended so far in the morning and back in the evening." Seeing that Harry's expression darkened considerably at the thought of seeing his cousin every day, he continued, "I guess that's not preferable for you. I could also find a more agreeable primary school for you, for example in Hogsmeade. Otherwise, you could remain at Hogwarts and either attend classes together with me or one of the other teachers, or I could ask Cicero, my personal house-elf, to instruct you. Which solution would you prefer?"

Harry sadly averted his eyes to his bed covers, causing the professor to notice that his question hadn't been very considerate. "Very well, number one would be another primary school, number two attending classes..." He interrupted himself as he saw Harry eagerly raise two fingers.

"You want to attend classes?"

Harry smiled and nodded eagerly. '_I'd love to learn something without having to be careful not to get better grades than Dudley_,' Harry thought happily.

"Very well then, tomorrow morning I'll take you with me to my classes. The only problem is that it's already half-way through the school year so that even the first year classes will be very difficult. However, I'll provide you with a first year Potions book and will give you easy assignments, which you can do during class. Your mother was very adept at Potions and she loved to brew. Maybe you'll like it as well. Now try to rest for a while; I'll be back in two hours."

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

Like he had promised, the professor returned after his last class and led Harry to the dungeons. Harry walked behind the man in complete amazement, looking at the moving pictures on both sides of the corridors with interest and disbelief. When Snape had to wait for him for the third time, Harry threw him an apologetic look and pointed to one of the pictures, in which a witch had just transformed into a dog and was chasing a cat that finally transformed into a wizard.

Snape observed the child in amusement, trying to remain patient as he reminded himself that he was the boy's permanent guardian and had to raise the child to a man who would be able to either fulfil the tasks the magical world had chosen for him or to defy the burden the wizarding community had placed on him.

Knowing that the boy wouldn't be able to tell Salazar's portrait, which was guarding his quarters, the password, 'Lily,' he motioned Harry to place his hand against the door, so the portrait would be able to recognise his magical signature. The portrait opened and Harry followed the professor into a large living room that was arranged in form of a circle around a huge fireplace.

Harry glanced around, noticing with excitement that the walls were covered with large bookshelves, which reached from the floor to the ceiling and were only interrupted by a few windows that made the room extremely bright. '_Wow, this room is absolutely amazing_,' he mused as he followed the professor through a small corridor into a bedroom.

"The room with the blue door is your room," Snape told him on the way and explained where all the other doors would lead.

Harry threw him a grateful look, noticing that the room held an enormous and most comfortable looking bed, a huge wardrobe as well as a desk, two chairs and a bookshelf, on which he saw a handful of books. His eyes began to twinkle happily as he stood in front of the bookshelf and hesitantly reached out for one of the books, throwing the professor a questioning look at the same time.

"The books on the shelf are yours, Harry. Tell me when you're through with them. As you can see, I have more than enough books to read, although most of them are about Potions," Snape said, smirking as he noticed the boy's excitement. "There is one book called '_Hogwarts: A History_.' I'd recommend that first, if you're interested in history. It will give you a general idea about the magical world from the founding of Hogwarts onwards. Otherwise, you might want to read the introductory book to Potions; over there, the blue one. It'll give you an overview about the different kind of potions and the most common magical and non magical ingredients. There is a second volume, the green one, which deals with the basics of potions brewing. If you have any questions, you may ask me at any time. I'll provide you with parchment and a quill later on."

'_He is the Potions professor, so he'll probably appreciate if I read the books about Potions first_,' Harry mused as he hesitantly laid the blue book onto his night table, sighing in relief as his guardian gave him an encouraging nod.

"Now Harry, would you like to rest for a few minutes? Dinner in the Great Hall is going to begin in half an hour, so we have to leave in fifteen minutes. For today, I suggest that you sit at the Head table together with Madam Pomfrey or Professor McGonagall and me. As soon as you're ready to sit at the students' tables, you may sit together with the twins or other students you like."

Harry nodded gratefully, thinking, '_I like the twins, but I feel much safer with the teachers. They already know that I can't speak and won't ask me strange questions_.' He picked up the book, longingly eying the large bed that looked very inviting, before he threw the professor a questioning look.

"You're probably tired after being up and about for the first time after your illness," Snape guessed. "Why don't you lie down for a while? I'll wake you up in time for dinner."

Harry thankfully complied and carefully lay down on the bed, trying not to make the blue covers untidy. He began to read the blue Potions book, drifting off to sleep before his guardian had even left the room.

Feeling very refreshed after his short nap, he anxiously followed the professor to the Great Hall, backing up in fright as he saw the many students that were gathered for dinner.

"It's all right, Harry. Stay close to me," Snape instructed him gently, noticing from the corner of his eyes that hundreds of eyes were following the odd couple through the Hall. The professor ushered the boy to a seat between him and Minerva, knowing that his older colleague had taken a great liking to the child.

Realising that he knew all the teachers that were sitting near him and that everyone was very friendly and didn't ask questions he couldn't answer, Harry slowly began to relax.

However, all of a sudden, dinner appeared on the table and Harry threw his guardian a frightened look as the professor began to put a little bit of everything on his plate.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Snape asked softly, noticing the boy's unsettled expression.

'_How can I make him understand that I'm not allowed to eat at the table?_' Harry thought feverishly, completely forgetting that his guardians had told him the Dursleys' rules didn't apply for him anymore.

"Harry, if you're not feeling unwell, please eat your dinner," Snape instructed him in a soft voice, causing Harry to throw the man a questioning look that finally caused him to understand. "Did the Dursleys forbid you to eat dinner at the table with them?" he asked quietly, before he reassured him firmly that he was allowed to eat as he saw Harry nod.

'_This is absolutely delicious_,' Harry thought and was sad that he was only able to stomach a little bit of the fantastic food. '_I really like it here. I have two very nice guardians, a room for myself, and I'm allowed to eat together with all of them. I even have two friends. Hopefully, they'll remain my friends even if they notice that I'm a freak_.'

"What is Harry going to do during the day?" the Headmaster suddenly asked, pulling Harry out of his musings. However, he soon relaxed again when Snape explained to his colleagues what they had decided earlier.

"Very well then, he can attend the first year classes from September onwards," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "It'll be very difficult for him if he can't speak; so maybe he'll need the additional year, before he can properly begin Hogwarts."

To Harry's surprise, Professor McGonagall let out a snort. "Harry won't need an additional year. He can't speak; however, he is not stupid. On the contrary, I knew him very well as a baby, and I know for a fact that he is not only highly intelligent but also very powerful. With a bit of extra training, which I'm gladly willing to provide, he should be able to cast the spells silently. Furthermore, he has already become friends with the Weasley twins. Therefore, I suggest letting him attend the first years' classes right away and decide at the end of the school year if he has to begin anew or if he can advance to second year right away. I'm sure the twins will help Harry to get along. As much nonsense as they do, I think very highly of them."

Harry couldn't believe his ears and threw the professor a huge smile when his guardian agreed with his colleague.

"The twins seem to be very adept at Potions. I agree with Minerva's suggestion, especially since I'll be able to teach Harry in private during the summer holidays."

"I think it's a good idea; however, I do not want the boy to stay in one of the dormitories. His health condition is not good, and I want him to stay with Severus or me, even during the school year," Poppy spoke up.

"Very well then, if you all agree with Minerva, we'll try and see how he'll get along. However, in that case we have to sort the boy right away. Could you please fetch the Sorting Hat, Minerva?"

_

* * *

tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments! _

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


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